1 ±-8B - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 9, 1999
World Series not too far off for
zany prognostication attempts
Newsday
jIt's not too early to start dreaming
about potential World Series matchups.
Some real doozies are still possible.
N4ew York-New York would be hard to
trump, but several other pairings could
rank right up there in terms of intrigue
' and star power. One thing we would like
to avoid is a rematch of a recent Series
it's too much like a TV rerun. Which
means we'd prefer not to see Yankees-
Braves, Indians-Braves or even Blue
Javs-Braves. Nothing against the
Braves, who have an excellent chance
to make it with their resolve, their guts
""°and their pitching. It's just that we'd like
to see something different.
Here's our favorite eight, the
r rmatchups we'd most like to see (in
dApscending order):
8. Mots-Ran-zers. This would be the
Bobby V special, and because everyone
who knows Mets manager/lightning
"rod Bobby Valentine loves him or hates
him, this would be a pip. The contro-
veisial Valentine, the Rangers' manager
from 1985-92, suffered the indignity of
being booed by fans last winter at the
Baseball Writers Dinner with Rangers
bigwigs on hand to honor MVP Juan
-Gonzalez. This could easily make up
for that.
Edge: Mets..
t 7. Diamondbacks-Rangers. We'd
love to see Randy Johnson face tie
Rangers' lineup, as good as any in base-
ball.
Rafael Palmeiro has played against
everybody over the years, except
ohnson. One year, he played 160
games, all except the two against the
-Unit. But there's no opting out in the
.World Series. We like any matchup of
first-time Series qualifiers, and we'd
'lke to stay warm, too.
..Edge: D-backs.
6. Yankees-Diamondbacks. Oh, what
a mess the winter of 1995-96 was.
---Watching George Steinbrenner and
---Bck Showalter do that tango of theirs
was something to behold. The highlight
y
r.
h
came xvhen Steinbrenner, after firing
Showalter and hiring Joe Torre as man-
ager, responded to bad press by offering,
Showalter his job back. By that point,
Showalter knew how deep Arizona's
pockets were, and the diminutive skip-
per had to be tired of hearing
Steinbrenner refer to him as 'that Buck
Showalter and his little family."
Edge: Yankees.
5. Mets-Indians. This could be a
slugfest. The Mets patterned their team
after the Indians: big bats and big
bullpen.
Unfortunately, the starters have to
pitch first. The double-play combina-
tions, two of the best ever, also will
draw attention. Still, DPs will not be the
norm here. The two lineups, among
baseball's best, could make for some
long nights.
Edge: Indians.
4. Astros-Rangers. The two losers in
the Roger Clemens sweepstakes (or is it
winners?) would be a blast. The Astros
have a lot to overcome to get there, with
all of their injuries, but they can't be
underestimated. Craig Biggio and Jeff
Bagwell don't need much help, but
some would be appreciated. It would be
nice to see those two - as well as
Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez and
Palmeiro -- make it. Things are bigger
in Texas, and this one would be gigan-
tic.
Edge: Rangers.
3. Indians-Reds. The Reds were
annoyed when the Indians stole some of
their mid-state fans with the opening of
Jacobs Field. The great folks of
Columbus started going east in droves.
Here's a chance to show Ohio there are
two fine baseball teams in the state. The
rivalry has been enhanced by some big
trades between the teams in recent
years - some Indians people were
aggravated when Reds G.M. Jim
Bowden declared that getting Sean
Casey from Cleveland for Dave Burba
would go down as "the greatest trade in
Reds history." Hmmm ... a potential
batting champion making close to the
minimum salary for a No. 3 pitcher?
Looks like he was correct. The only
drawback to this delicious matchup is
the great potential for political incor-
rectness, what with Chief Wahoo and
Marge Schott together in the house.
Edge: Chief Wahoo.
2. Yankees-Mets. Big surprise, New
York-New York finishes second in our
derby. The city that never sleeps would
go nuts. The rest of the country will
enjoy watching ... from a distance. The
first Subway Series since 1956 would
have its advantages. For one, the travel
for the players wouldn't be bad, eight
miles from Flushing to the Bronx. For
another, there would be passion.
Feelings run deep in a showdown that
would take on a David vs. Goliath
theme. There's also plenty of potential
for that great New York tradition: the
argument. Who's better, Derek Jeter or
Mike Piazza (this one already is start-
ing on the airwaves) Who'll be in the
center of more controversy, Valentine or
Steinbrenner? These cross-city games
seem to bring out the worst in the Boss,
so we'll go with the favorite there.
Edge: Yankees.
1. A's-Reds. Bud Selig's argument
about small markets having zero
chance goes down the tubes here. The
Reds' payroll of S35 million is well
below the supposed cutoff for honest-
to-goodness contenders (S45 to S50
million), and Oakland's S22 million
payroll is downright microscopic. The
odds of the A's and Reds aren't nearly as
long now as when we all started, but
they're still fairly long. At this point,
there's still a greater chance of neither
team reaching the playoffs than both
making it to the World Series. Still, it's
not impossible. If they do overcome the
odds, this one would be fun. We're not
counting the rerun factor because all of
the players have changed since 1990.
Eat your hearts out, Dodgers and
Orioles.
Edge: Reds.
0
9
AP oto
While the Braves are a perennial favorite to reach the World Series, seeing the Braves has grown tiresome for many fans w
are hoping for fresh blood from the National league pennant winner.
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